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Crime and its prevention
Crime, its prevention and control, how? The benefits of the Gospel
Content:Evolutionary theory and its impact on morality and behavior:• Degradation of human dignity• Relative moralityChristian faith and the teaching of change of heart, or repentanceFamily forms and crimeOther ways to prevent crime:• Banning weapons from private individuals or restricting their use• Raising the price of alcohol or restricting its availability• Television and the media influence people's behavior• Residential planning and housing policy• The importance of penalties• Family policy, i.e. supporting and helping families in crisis situations• The impact of the gospelDrug use:• Supply• The gate theory is still valid• Addiction• Health• Children are born• Availability• A sign of crime• Liberal legislation• Winner or loser?• There is hope for drug users
This article is about crime and its prevention. Crime can occur in different areas, such as murder and violent crime, sexual crimes, theft, embezzlement, fraud, damage, accounting crimes and, nowadays, crimes committed via the Internet. What about what measures should be taken and what things should be paid attention to in order to reduce crime? Police and legislators certainly have good goals for reducing crime, and this article discusses some of these measures. However, it is also important to consider worldviews, because they affect people's thinking and actions. They are rarely brought up in secular media, but they are an essential issue. That is why we will first discuss this area.
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY AND ITS IMPACT ON MORALS AND CONDUCT. If one were to name a theory and teaching that has changed human thinking the most, one good option is the theory of evolution, which Darwin made famous in his book The Origin of Species in 1859. It took only 10-20 years from the publication of the book for this theory to become generally accepted. Before that, it was taken for granted that God is behind everything and that species were approximately in the form in which they were created. This was commonly taught in schools and people considered the Bible's description of everything to be historical and reliable. What is the fruit of evolution? If we exclude the scientific field, it has probably had the greatest impact on two things: the decline of human dignity and morality.
The decline of human dignity is a natural consequence of evolution. If we believe that man is not the image of God as the Bible shows, but is inherited from animals, then there is little difference between man and the rest of creation. Or some races and groups of people are considered more developed and better than others. Both devalue a person or some groups of people. A good example of the latter thinking is Nazism. Leading Nazis believed in the theory of evolution. They got scientific justification from it for their racism, racial doctrines and the killing of certain groups of people such as the disabled. For example, Adolf Eichmann, who was directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of thousands, saw nothing wrong in his actions. During his trial, he justified his actions with the theory of evolution.
Darwin himself did not support similar doctrines, but
the Nazis came to such a conclusion based on his theory. Of
course, evil philosophies existed before Darwin, but the
Nazis' actions were one logical consequence of believing in
the theory of evolution. If they had believed the opposite -
how man is a valuable image of God and that one should love
one's neighbor as oneself - they would not have acted as
they did. They are an extreme example of the importance of
beliefs for behavior. What we think about our origins
affects everything we do, including our actions and
refraining from them. It affects how we relate to others. - (Gen 1:27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
- (Matt 7:12) Therefore all things whatever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
- (Matt 22:36-39) Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
This is connected to the fact that your thoughts about your origins influence your entire view of the world, your purpose of life, etc. If there is no God and we are only the result of random processes, it means that there is no absolute authority. And if there is nobody to set the rules, anybody can do anything and hope that they won’t get caught. Evolution is a religion that entitles people to come up with their own rules. (...) If it is difficult for you to believe that evolution is connected to the issues mentioned above, you will see the connection clearly after studying a couple of historical examples. In fact, I have yet to meet a single well-educated evolutionist who disagrees with me about the connection of these moral issues and evolution. They are not necessarily of the opinion that this is what should have happened but they do agree that people have applied evolution in this way. It is important for you not to misunderstand what I’m about to say. Of course, there were bad philosophies that go against God already before Darwinist evolution. People did abortions long before Darwin announced his popular view on evolution. However, people’s beliefs about their origins influence the way they view the world. When people reject God -- the Creator -- their attitude towards themselves, other people and our world changes. (1)
Christian faith and the teaching of change of mind, or repentance . Nowadays it is popular to attack the Christian faith. Almost everything related to Christianity is criticized. Among other things, the sexual morality that Jesus and the apostles represented is considered evil, i.e. that sex belongs only to marriage between a man and a wife, and not elsewhere. Not to other heterosexual or homosexual relationships. The opposition is also expressed in the fact that the gospel is not wanted in schools. The explanation given is, among other things, that “schools must be neutral places”. Similarly, in modern times it is increasingly difficult to tell prisoners in prison the gospel about Jesus. Atheists, the unbelievers and other opponents of the Christian faith do not want to hear about Jesus or for others to hear about him. Here Jesus’ words come to mind: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in.” (Matthew 23:13). Similarly, Jesus said about how some consider him evil because of their spiritual blindness: “Blessed are you, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.” (Luke 6:22). Christian faith, if it is genuine, is, however, the best way to prevent and combat crime. If a person turns to God and allows himself to be saved, this involves abandoning wrong lifestyles. Earlier we talked about different forms of crime, and a person should separate themselves from all of them if they want to take following Jesus seriously. Many Bible verses call for a change of heart and repentance. If this does not happen in relation to abandoning crime and in relation to their neighbors, that is, wanting to love their neighbors from now on instead of hating and abusing them, it is worth questioning such faith. No one will be perfect when they follow Jesus, but the direction should be clear, i.e. getting rid of crimes and wrong habits and striving to love their neighbors. We are urged to do this, among others, by the following Bible verses:
- (Matthew 4:17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
- (Matthew 22:36-39) Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
- (Luke 13:2,3) And Jesus answering said to them, Suppose you that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.
- (Acts 17:30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent:
- (2 Tim 2:19) Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
As stated, if people take the teachings of Jesus and the apostles seriously, it should lead to a decrease in crime. When prisoners have left their criminal careers behind, it also benefits society economically. It has been calculated that one day in prison costs society about 150 euros, and if, for example, 50 people end their criminal careers and become regular taxpayers, society will very quickly save tens of millions of euros in additional costs. Then to the 19th century and one example of how crime decreased dramatically. Charles G. Finney was one of the most famous preachers of that time. He tells in his book "Ihmeellisiä herätyksiä" an incident where the crime rate in a city dropped to a relative ninth of what it had been before. The city became more peaceful in terms of order.
I have told that the moral situation changed greatly through this revival. The city was new, economically prosperous and enterprising but full of sin. The population was especially intelligent and ambitious but as the revival swept through the city by bringing large crowds of its most remarkable people, men and women, to conversion, there happened a very miraculous change concerning the order, peacefulness and morality. I had a talk with a lawyer many years later. He had been converted in this revival and was a general prosecutor in criminal cases. Because of this office, the criminal statistics were thoroughly familiar to him. He said about the time of this revival, “I have examined documents of criminal law and noticed a surprising fact: while our city has grown three times larger after the times of the revival, there has not been even a third of the indictments than there were before. So miraculous an effect did the revival have on our society.”(…)
(...) Both public and personal opposition
gradually abated. In Rochester I did not know anything about
it. The salvation had its own great visitation, the revivals
were so powerful and moved so widely, and people had time to
become acquainted both with themselves and the results of
them to such an extent that they feared to oppose them as
before. The priests also understood them better, and the
wicked were convinced that they were acts of God. This idea
of them became almost common, so clear was the sane nature
of the conversions, so really transformed, “new creations”,
were the converts, so thorough a change occurred both in
individuals and in the society, and so permanent and
undeniable were the fruit.
Family forms and crime. Everyone knows that the situation today is not the same as it was a few decades ago, when we lived in a unified culture and everyone had almost the same values. Christian teaching in particular was respected and considered important then, but now we have drifted further and further away from it. This has also had a disruptive effect on families and children. The first milestone was the emergence of the so-called sexual revolution in the 1960s. It was not a question of the amount of sex, but that it was separated from the marriage of a man and a wife. It began to be preached that “if both love each other, they can have sexual intercourse with each other”. What was the result of the new practice? When sex is practiced outside of marriage and as a result a woman becomes pregnant and a child is born, the child does not have a home ready - a home where both parents are at home. This leads to more and more children having to live in single-parent families. This is not a good starting point for a child's life. It is illustrative that in the late 1960s only 5% of children were born outside of marriage; now the figure is over 50%. Another deterioration for children was the easing of divorce, which took place in Finland through legislation in 1987. What was the result of this? More and more marriages broke up for increasingly minor reasons, and children were once again separated from at least one of their parents. In some areas, the most common family form is a single mother with children alone. What does this have to do with crime? Many studies have found a clear connection between whether a child grew up in an intact nuclear family or in institutions and single-parent families. (In Finland, there were about 20,000 property crimes in the early 1950s, but by the early 1990s there were already over 200,000 property crimes. At the same time, the number of divorces and legal separations has multiplied, so crimes and family breakdowns seem to be connected.) This is not an accusation against anyone, and sometimes a separation is necessary, for example due to another person's violence or continuous infidelity. However, the matter is important for children. It has been observed that bad relationships, parental separation or a child growing up in an institution are risk factors on the road to crime. This does not happen to everyone, but the difference compared to children who grew up in intact families is considerable. Fatherlessness in particular is a modern-day problem, as the following examples show.
In his parable of the prodigal son, Jesus does not speak of the mother but of the father. The son needs a father! The girl needs a father! Behind the crime and fall of Finnish youth, I see fatherlessness. There is no father or there is only an image of a father. There is no real warm, fair father figure. There is a strange man who visits the house, who does not know his children and whom the children do not know… It is sad that the placement of vulnerable children in institutions, where it is difficult for them to have close human contact, has become increasingly common, and the placement in private homes has decreased. Here too, we can see the cooling of love for children. When you don't have your own children, you don't want to take in any guests. People's desire for comfort has grown... All the murderers described in this book have spent some time in institutional care. That gives some indication of what happens to institutionalized children. They are the basic clients of the courts. The main reason for the crimes seems to be fatherlessness and motherlessness, the lack of love. (2)
At the same time, another study (Camilla Hagelstam 2002) examined the social backgrounds of fifty homicide victims under the age of 20… The biggest difference between those who committed homicide and other young people was that 40 percent of the offenders belonged to single-parent families, while the corresponding figure for all young people is only 16 percent. The study in question thus showed conclusively that children need a family with both a father and a mother. Above all, boys seem to need a male role model. Poverty and unemployment do not increase the risk of committing murder, but the lack of old-fashioned upbringing and care can. Bad behavior should not be tolerated, thinking that it is part of youth and will go away on its own. Disturbance and bad behavior should be addressed immediately, but care, supervision, education, presence, discussion and encouragement must begin as early as the second year. (3)
The conclusion from the above is that marriage, as taught by Jesus and the apostles, is still important. Marriage should last a lifetime and the spouses should love each other. This is a good starting point for the lives of children and can protect many from crime. We should respect the following teachings that relate to the subject of marriage and its permanence:
- (1 Cor 7:39) The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
- (Malachi 2:14-16) Yet you say, Why? Because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously: yet is she your companion, and the wife of your covenant. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And why one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, said that he hates putting away: for one covers violence with his garment, said the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously.
- (Hebrews 13:4) Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
- (1 Cor 6:9,10) Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Other ways to prevent crime. The importance of the Christian faith in preventing crime and in freedom from crime was discussed above. If the Christian faith is genuine, it should bring about positive change in a person. It was also stated that it is important for children to have a mother and father in the family. This can protect them from many wrong decisions later in life. However, there are many other ways to prevent or reduce crime. We will look at them next. At least the following methods can be useful:
• Banning weapons from private individuals or restricting their use. For example, in the United States, there are approximately 30,000 deaths each year involving a gun. In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of other cases in which guns have been used. Based on statistics, D. Rosenbaum has stated:
“ Each year, there are an estimated 30,000 deaths in which firearms are used in crime, accident, or suicide. In addition, a firearm was present or fired or was somehow connected to the course of events in 900,000 cases. One must ask what the overall picture would be if the possibilities of using firearms were severely restricted.” (D. Rosenbaum: Community Crime Prevention: a review and synthesis of the literature. Justice Quarterly, vol. 5, 323-395, 1988) (4)
• Raising the price of alcohol or restricting its availability. For example, in Finland, a large proportion of crimes and acts of violence are committed under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is also the cause of numerous traffic accidents and domestic violence. Numerous studies in the Nordic countries (Lenke, Skog, Björk and Sirén) have shown that there is a clear link between alcohol consumption and violent crime. “In an analysis of Norway during the period 1931-1977, Skog and Björk found that a one-litre increase in per capita alcohol consumption (converted to pure alcohol) resulted in a 16 per cent increase in violence. The measure was the number of people convicted of violent crimes.” (Reino Sirén & Martti Lehti: Musta maaruuskus , p. 12) Other studies have given similar results on the connection between homicide and assault crime and alcohol consumption. Strikes by the Finnish alcohol monopoly in 1972 and 1985 demonstrated the link between alcohol and crime. During the month-long strike in 1985, public disorder, violent crime and drunk driving decreased by about a fifth and drunken arrests decreased by about a third. The effects of the 1972 strike were similar. The following example shows what happened when medium beer was introduced to Finnish stores, meaning that the availability of alcohol improved compared to before. This led to a significant increase in crime levels. The same had been experienced earlier in the 1920s.
In both the 1920s and
1969, the increase in alcohol consumption was accompanied by
a simultaneous sharp increase in homicide. The average
annual homicide rate in the 1920s was 8.4 victims per
100,000 inhabitants, 66 percent higher than in 1905-13 and
166 percent higher than in the early 1900s. In 1969, the
crime rate rose by 27 percent and continued to rise in the
following years. Assaults recorded by the police also
increased sharply, by 38 percent from the previous year. The
sharp increase in alcohol consumption continued until 1974,
as did the increase in assaults, which only leveled off
after the mid-1970s (Sirén 2000). It is also noteworthy that
in 1969, violence among 18-20 year-olds (i.e. Alko's new
potential customer base) increased the most (+48%) (Sirén
2003). (5)
• Television and mass media influence people's behavior and there has been a change in them for the worse. When they offer false models such as adultery, divorce, sex without marriage, homosexuality and other wrong behavior, it is quite certain that it increases the tendency to act according to these models. In turn, it increases the financial burden on society, because as a result of divorce, families break up and crime also increases. The same connection has been observed between violent crime and television material. When watching violent material for years, it has been found that it lowers the threshold for wrongdoing. Violent and sexual entertainment numbs a person.
Numerous studies have proven that people who recurrently watch TV shows or movies with exiting or strong violence or sex become numb towards violence. In two surveys on young convicts who had committed violent crimes (murder, rape, assault), 22–30% of the respondents stated that they had intentionally copied criminal techniques they had learned when watching TV. The Hollywood entertainment industry is desperately dependent on the profits it gets from TV shows and movies containing sex and violence. (6)
The quote below from decades ago shows the importance of immoral material. It is a question of criminal activities related to sex. The people who have committed them have almost invariably read or watched material that has led them to act in distorted ways. What a person fills his mind with ultimately affects his behavior.
Herbert W. Case, a former police superintendent in Detroit, stated the following when talking about torture, unnatural sexual acts and murders: “There has not been a single sex murder case in our department where the murderer had not eagerly read pornographic magazines.” Chief of Police Paul E. Blubaum of Phoenix, Arizona, stated the following: “"Our city has experienced many crimes related to sexual abnormality, including child harassment and inappropriate self-disclosure. We have found that most of these disturbed individuals read obscene publications and often even show them to children, trying to evoke a sexual response.” (7)
• Residential planning and housing policy, if sensible, can reduce crime. It has especially been noticed that if there are many children and disadvantaged people in the same area, it is a risk factor. A sensible housing policy can prevent problems from arising.
• Meaning of punishments. If the punishments are nominal, the risk of getting caught is small or wrongdoing is not dealt with, it increases crime. It has been established that the sooner crime is dealt with and there are consequences, the better the cycle of crime can be prevented. Looking through the fingers, where you can commit dozens of similar wrongdoings without consequences, on the other hand, keeps the criminal cycle going.
Legislators and the authorities should also study in more detail international tried and effective means of preventing crime and eliminating the resulting negative impacts. The United States have successfully decreased the local crime rate by implementing a so-called “zero tolerance” policy: the authorities and other bodies dealing with crime completely refuse to overlook any crime and immediately interfere with any unlawful behaviour. We have always gone to the opposite direction. Thus, the "real practice" in punishments and other criminal-related activities of the authorities is completely separated from the "official truth". (8)
• Family policy, i.e. supporting and helping families in crisis situations, is useful. When problems in families remain small, it reduces problem behavior and crime. Bad relationships, parental separation or a child growing up in an institution are risk factors on the road to crime, but if these problems can be prevented by supporting families, it reduces the likelihood of drifting down the wrong path. It makes more sense to try to help families at a stage when the problems are still relatively small and the children are growing. It's harder to do later.
Studies have shown that the structure and functionality of the family are of utmost importance when socialisation and return to society are being promoted; these, in turn, decrease or prevent juvenile delinquency. If parents neglect to raise their children, if parents use inconsistent forms of punishment or if the children find their family life disordered and disturbing, the children may turn to crime as young adults. This is especially true in families where one or both of the parents have committed a crime or crimes. The risk multiplies if the family has to live in severe poverty or in isolation. The susceptibility to crime can be best reduced or prevented by improving the opportunities to protect, supervise, manage and care for families:
1) Preventing teenage pregnancies 2) Supporting and counselling mothers during pregnancy and when their children are infants 3) Providing parent counselling 4) Offering pre-school education for families of poor children or children who have special needs 5) Offering support to the parents when the family is going through a rough patch 6) Developing strategies to prevent child abuse and keeping families together 7) Preventing teenage homelessness (9)
The impact of the gospel . Work methods that involve the proclamation of the gospel, or the spiritual aspect, are effective ways of preventing crime. The gospel can change a criminal, terrorist, drug addict or a person who is otherwise separated from God. The more such people experience change, the more crime will decrease. Of course, it would be best if people were to come into contact with God already in their childhood, for example through Sunday school and youth work, but God can change a person at a later stage as well. The condition is that the person himself is susceptible to change and ready to respond to the call of the gospel. Useful have been, for example, work methods that provide spiritual instruction to prisoners and related guidance and support. Work methods focused on helping drug addicts and alcoholics have also been effective. For example, in Teen Challenge centers, approximately 80% of those who have gone through the program have started a new life, permanently free from drugs.
DRUG USE is a relatively new thing in society, like the other things mentioned in this article. Of course, each of them has occurred in the past, but they have become more common especially during the last decades. Like alcoholism, drug abuse raises the crime rate. It is because under the influence of drugs, people's judgment fails and they commit crimes or cause harm to themselves. Another reason is that drug addicts often must resort to crime to get money to buy drugs, or they sell the drugs and thus spread the problem to new people. If they didn't have a drug problem and were in productive work, society would save considerable sums. The same is of course the case with alcohol, which is an even more common drug. In Finland alone, hundreds of millions of euros go into the costs it causes each year. What about soft and hard drugs? People usually try to separate them from each other and downplay the disadvantages of the former, but that is a dangerous policy. That's why we look at this topic and other related issues.
Supply. Separating soft drugs from hard drugs does not apply in the world of drugs. The same people sell both soft and hard drugs so a user will surely see both. Mixed usage is normal among drug addicts.
The gate theory still applies. Around 80–90% of all heroin addicts started with mild drugs. When mild drugs no longer have the effect they had earlier, addicts want to get something more powerful. David Wilkerson, who worked for years with thousands of drug addicts in downtown New York City, tells about his experiences:
Is marihuana dangerous? The answer is absolutely yes. 95% of the drug addicts we treat started with marihuana and gradually transferred to harder drugs. We ask every person who comes to us how they originally ended up on the slippery path of drugs, and almost all of them reply, "I once took a marijuana cigarette." (10)
Addiction. Like alcohol, nicotine, porn and many other things, drugs can also be addictive. Many people try to stop using such things because they will destroy one's joy of life in the long term. No alcoholic or porn addict is happy anymore when they are hooked and the habit has continued for years. That's why it's pointless to acquire new addictions if you can stay away from them.
The young woman sitting next to me told about her life and fears. She was afraid that her nerves would soon break. She had been taking drugs, mainly cannabis, for over ten years. Hers was a so-called “controlled habit”. However, there came a time when her nerves could no longer take it. She was afraid that her facade would tumble down, which had not happened yet. She lived in a detached house in the Helsinki Metropolitan region and none of the neighbours knew she had a problem with drugs. Listening to her, I thought that all the people who defend drugs as a “controlled habit” should hear this. (11)
Health. One of the phrases is that soft drugs are no more dangerous than tobacco and alcohol. However, this is not true because cannabis tar is stronger than tobacco tar and contains more carcinogens than tobacco. When the public health effects are already very expensive – lung cancer caused by tobacco is among the two most common cancers in several countries – it is pointless to acquire more public health costs.
Unborn children are at risk due to alcohol and drug use. Around 600 to 700 children damaged by alcohol are born in Finland every year. Similarly, as a result of amphetamine use, children have brain damage, heart defects, and cleft mouth and palate. For example, in Norway, there has been a law enabling involuntary treatment for drug-addicted mothers, and the experiences have been good. The women assigned to the treatment have subsequently found the solution to be good. They themselves haven't had the strength to get rid of drugs.
Availability. The easier the availability of drugs, the more problems and addiction related to their use. There are already enough young, marginalized drug users. The same has been found with alcohol policy. Every time the price has decreased and availability has become easier, it has increased problems related to alcohol use. This happened in Finland in 1969 and in Sweden in 1955. Crime, assaults and other problems related to excessive use clearly increased. In Finland, crime increased by 27% in 1969 and the growth continued in the following years. The reason was the arrival of medium strength beer in stores.
A sign to criminals. When drug legislation is relaxed, it is a sign to organized crime: "Here there is no law and no fear of punishment". Such an area attracts more drug sales and more crime, because the same people operate in more criminal sectors, e.g. in prostitution, pimping and arms trade.
Liberal legislation. Those countries that have had a loose drug policy and a positive attitude towards drugs have a completely different class of problems than those countries that have not acted in this way. Attempts have been made to alleviate the problems in these countries, e.g. by handing out heroin to heroin addicts, but that is extreme brutality. It binds a person to a lifelong drug addiction, from which it is difficult for him to break free. Such a policy also leads to the fact that it is even easier for people who use milder drugs to switch to stronger substances. It lowers the threshold to switch to them.
An experiment in a humane (!) and liberal drug policy … was made in Stockholm from 1965 to 1967. By virtue of a permit from the Swedish Medical Administration, doctors were able to write prescriptions of amphetamine and morphine to drug addicts. And that they did, to their hearts content – many doctors prescribed tens of thousands of doses. The going ended with a scandal and a disaster. Legal drugs written by doctors quickly flowed into the illegal street trade. Crime, which was supposed to end, increased. The number of people with severe drug problems exponentially increased. When hundreds of people had died because of prescribed drugs in the Stockholm Metropolitan Area, the experiment had to be cancelled post haste. The same happened as with communism: it was a great idea in theory but a poor idea in practice. (12)
Winner or loser? There is nothing ideal about drug use or cannabis cultivation. It is a life of escapism that young people with low self-esteem and who have difficulties adjusting to life find themselves in. They try to use drugs to eliminate feelings of inferiority or to escape from a challenging world. Alcoholism is a similar behavior.
There is hope for drug addicts. The most common way to treat drug addiction has been substitution treatments. Instead of narcotics, another narcotic such as subutex or methadone is offered. The following points are problematic in these treatments:
• Treatment results are poor • Treatments cost millions of euros every year • A large proportion of drug addicts receiving drug substitution treatment use other drugs at the same time • Addiction does not disappear, but has been replaced by another kind of addiction • Several people who have become addicted to substitute substances have died of overdose • They kill the desire to get better because drug users know they can resort on these treatments
Although the results have been poor from previous treatments, there is still hope for drug users. Jesus, who is the Son of God, can also free a person from the slavery of drugs (John 8:36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.). David Wilkerson, who worked for years with drug addicts in New York, tells his own experience:
We specialize in desperate cases and will reject no-one, although we worked at first only with teenagers. Those who need help come to us voluntarily, usually when they have lost all hope. (...) We simply believe in God's power of breaking the Shackles of habit and also making the Victory thus achieved last through faith. I'm not interested in whether other professional organizations fighting drug addiction accept my method or not. I know that drug addicts accept it. I challenge anyone in the world to bring a hundred people cured from drug addiction to the same event, as we have done. As of yet, nobody has responded to this challenge. We can present to you thousands of former drug addicts who were completely freed from drugs and filled with the power of God. (13)
References: 1. Ken Ham: Valhe, evoluutio, The Lie: Evolution, p. 55,112,113 2. Paavo Hiltunen: Ja maa tuli täyteen väkivaltaa, p. 20, 72,73 3. Ritva Santavuori: Rouva syyttäjän paluu, p. 26,27 4. John Graham – Trevor Bennett: Rikoksentorjunnan strategioita Euroopassa ja Pohjois-Amerikassa, toimittanut ja uudistanut Mikael Scheinin, p. 85 5. Reino Sirén & Martti Lehti: Musta maaliskuu, p. 15 6. Dada Maheshvarananda: Kapitalismin jälkeen, Proutin näkemys uudenlaisesta yhteiskunnasta (After Capitalism – Prout’s Vision for a New World), p. 154 7. David Wilkerson: Jeesus-kansalaisen kypsymisen käsikirja (Jesus Person Maturity Manual), p. 93 8. Matti Virén, Matti Wiberg: Kallis rikollisuus, järkevät vastatoimet rikollisuudelle, p. 80 9. John Graham – Trevor Bennett: Rikoksentorjunnan strategioita Euroopassa ja Pohjois-Amerikassa, toimittanut ja uudistanut Mikael Scheinin, p. 1,2 10. David Wilkerson: Hei saarnamies, sä pääset läpi (Hey, Preach… You Are Comin’ Through), p. 78 11. Liisa Tallgren: Tarjolla huominen, p. 121 12. Ritva Santavuori: Rouva syyttäjän paluu, p. 208, 209 13. David Wilkerson: Kukkaislapsia löytöretkellä (Purple-violet Squish), p. 9
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